– Min. Lawrence, PAHO ‘Rep’ say chances of virus reaching here ‘very, very low’

By Navendra Seoraj

GUYANA continues to be on guard against the Coronavirus and is even well-equipped to deal with the virus if it reaches here.

“We are prepared and equipped with what is needed to handle a situation, should one arise,” said Minister of Public Health, Volda Lawrence during a joint press briefing between the Ministry of Public Health and the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO), on Tuesday.

According to the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). The coronavirus outbreak originated in Wuhan, China.

Common signs of infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, coughs, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. In more severe cases, infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death.

According to Minister Lawrence, government’s first approach to keeping the virus at bay, is to ensure that they “test, isolate and treat” any person, who enters Guyana and has a high index of suspicion. While every port is being monitored, the minister said emphasis is being placed on the Cheddi Jagan International Airport and the Eugene F. Correia Airport.
“We have not moved to the second phase to check whether we do have cases…but what we are looking at is what it will take to expand services outside of Georgetown, especially if we have an overflow… we know GPHC has a high occupancy rate, so we need another facility to house persons,” said the minister, noting that the ministry is examining other available facilities and looking at what needs to be purchased.

Adequate medication
So far, the ministry has confirmed that, they have an adequate supply of medication to treat the respiratory and other symptoms of the disease. The ministry is expected to make a presentation to Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan, who was made aware of the situation, when the minister and her team briefed Cabinet on Tuesday.

The team of medical professionals provided an insight to the rise of the Novel Coronavirus and advised Cabinet that the Caribbean and Guyana were at a relatively low risk, but that it is important to be prepared for any eventualities.

Cabinet was told that the GPHC and the Diamond Diagnostic Centre have been identified as the two medical facilities where any arriving passenger suspected of having the Novel Coronavirus will be quarantined. Both facilities are being prepared and retrofitted accordingly.

The team briefed Cabinet that Port Health Authorities had begun screening Chinese nationals arriving at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) from Suriname and Asia. According to a press statement, President David Granger thanked the team for the briefing and the work that they and other agencies are doing to ensure that Guyana is prepared to handle an occurrence. President Granger said Guyana’s preparedness to deal with transnational diseases is at an optimum.

Resident PAHO/WHO Representative, Dr. William Adu Krow, during the press conference, said Guyana, although not having to deal some of the prevalent outbreaks in recent times, is experienced and prepared to deal with any disease. “As of now though, we are very, very, very low in terms of getting a condition like that…but we are prepared,” said Dr. Adu-Krow.

In emphasising his confidence in Guyana, he said: We went through Chikungunya, Ebola and so on, so I think we have gained enough experience, even though we did not have the cases, we have enough experience to deal with it…PAHO/WHO is also prepared to stand by the ministry to support in the event of the virus reaching Guyana.”

Guyana will also be able to access support from the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), which has been designated as a National Influenza Centre (NIC). This means that the regional agency has the capacity to test everything that Guyana sends to them. Results will be returned in three days.

Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Dr. Shamdeo Persaud said, there is a six point plan that the ministry has established to tackle the virus, but the main focus is on detection. There has, however, been no recommendation for any special protocols to deal with the virus. He said there is a protocol for several acute respiratory illnesses, so they are working with that.
“We are all the points of entry…we strengthened the surveillance activities and screening…we are screen persons from areas where there are cases,” said Dr. Persaud, adding that there will be sensitisation training and capacity building over the next few days.

The ministry has also deployed additional environmental health officers and medex to the various ports to strengthen the efforts. The increased presence at the ports is expected to last up to four months until the acute period of the virus blows over.

Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Karen Gordon-Boyle had said the Guyanese government is preparing counter-measures to prevent any outbreak of the coronavirus here.

So far, a questionnaire, which is being used as screening tool, has been developed to gather detailed information on the onset and natural course of illnesses of persons, suspected of having coronavirus. Dr. Gordon-Boyle said training programmes, targeting key staff, including port health officers, immigration officers and customs officers, will be conducted by the Ministry of Public Health in collaboration with PAHO/WHO.

She said the Infection Control and Prevention Committee of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) will also ensure that the tertiary institution is in a state of readiness to care for any infected person. As a precaution, she said: “Any person experiencing fever or flu-like symptoms should visit the GPHC or the nearest Regional Hospital.”

While the incubation period for affected persons is still not known, it is advised that patients be isolated from the healthy population for some 10 to 14 days. Dr. Adu-Krow had confirmed that 14 countries apart from China, have confirmed cases. And as of Tuesday, there were 4,564 cases and 106 deaths.